Basic Usage

Master the essential InstaTunnel commands for everyday development. These cover 90% of use cases.

🎯 Core Commands

Basic Tunneling

# Auto-detect running application (recommended)

$ instatunnel

🔍 Auto-detected service on port 3000

✅ Tunnel created: https://abc123.instatunnel.my

# Use short alias (even faster)

$ it

🔍 Auto-detected service on port 3000

✅ Tunnel created: https://def456.instatunnel.my

# Specify port manually if needed

$ instatunnel 3000

✅ Tunnel created: https://ghi789.instatunnel.my

Auto-detection is the easiest way! Just run instatunnel or it and it will find your running app automatically.

Custom Subdomains

# Use a custom subdomain

$ instatunnel 3000 --subdomain myapp

✅ Tunnel created: https://myapp.instatunnel.my

# Short form

$ instatunnel 3000 -s myapp

✅ Tunnel created: https://myapp.instatunnel.my

Perfect for consistent URLs during development or when sharing with team members.

Multiple Tunnels

# Terminal 1: Frontend

$ instatunnel 3000 --subdomain frontend

✅ Tunnel created: https://frontend.instatunnel.my

# Terminal 2: API

$ instatunnel 8000 --subdomain api

✅ Tunnel created: https://api.instatunnel.my

# Terminal 3: Database admin

$ instatunnel 5432 --subdomain db-admin

✅ Tunnel created: https://db-admin.instatunnel.my

Run multiple tunnels simultaneously for complex applications with frontend, backend, and additional services.

📋 Tunnel Management

List Active Tunnels

# Show all running tunnels

$ instatunnel --list

🚇 Active Tunnels (2)

🟢 https://frontend.instatunnel.my → localhost:3000

Subdomain: frontend

Status: active

🟢 https://api.instatunnel.my → localhost:8000

Subdomain: api

Status: active

Stop Tunnels

# Stop specific tunnel by name or subdomain

$ instatunnel --kill frontend

🛑 Tunnel 'frontend' has been stopped

# Use Ctrl+C in tunnel terminal to stop running tunnel

# Gracefully stops the tunnel

# Note: --kill requires API key for authenticated tunnels

📊 Information & Analytics

Live Request Logs

# Login once with your API key

$ instatunnel auth login -e you@example.com

$ instatunnel auth set-key "it_your_api_key"

# View live request logs for active tunnels

$ instatunnel 3000

✅ Tunnel created: https://abc123.instatunnel.my

📊 Live requests will appear here automatically...

# Access dedicated logs viewer

$ instatunnel --logs

Live request log polling started (every 5s)

[12:31:09] myapp.instatunnel.my GET /health -> 200 (9ms)

Press Ctrl+C to stop

Plan note: detailed request logs in --logs are available on Pro and Business plans.

Usage Statistics

# View real account usage (last 30 days)

$ instatunnel --stats

InstaTunnel Usage Statistics

Period: last 30 days

Active tunnels: 3

Total requests: 1247

Bandwidth: 45.20 MB

Requires a saved API key. If not logged in, the CLI shows the exact login command.

Region Flag

# Current deployment region

$ instatunnel 3000 --region us

✅ Tunnel created

# Unsupported region values fail fast

$ instatunnel 3000 --region eu

Error: unsupported --region value "eu"

Current production deployment supports only us.

QR Code for Mobile Testing

# Generate QR code for mobile testing

$ instatunnel 3000 --qr

✅ Tunnel created: https://abc123.instatunnel.my

📱 QR Code for Mobile Testing:

┌─────────────────────────┐

│ ██ ██ ██████ ██ ██ │

│ ████████ ██████ ████ │

└─────────────────────────┘

📲 Scan with your phone camera

Perfect for testing mobile responsive design and touch interactions on real devices.

🔒 Security Features

Password Protection

# Password protect your tunnel

$ instatunnel 3000 --password secret123

🔒 Password protection enabled

✅ Tunnel created: https://abc123.instatunnel.my

🔒 Password protected (visitors need password to access)

Protect your tunnel with a password. Visitors must enter the password to access your app.

Basic Authentication

# Enable HTTP basic authentication

$ instatunnel 3000 --auth username:password

🔐 Basic authentication enabled

✅ Tunnel created: https://abc123.instatunnel.my

🔐 Basic auth enabled (username/password required)

Use HTTP basic authentication for more robust security. Perfect for staging environments.

📱 Sharing & Collaboration

Social Sharing Templates

# Generate shareable text for social media

$ instatunnel --share

📱 InstaTunnel Share Text Generator

💡 Demo Template:

🚀 Check out my local app live: [TUNNEL_URL]

Built with InstaTunnel - the ngrok alternative!

# Replace [TUNNEL_URL] with your actual tunnel URL

Get ready-made social media templates for sharing your tunnels professionally.

🛠 Common Patterns

Frontend Development

# React (auto-detects port 3000)

$ instatunnel --react

# Next.js (auto-detects port 3000)

$ instatunnel --next

# Vue/Vite

$ instatunnel 5173

API Development

# Laravel (auto-detects port 8000)

$ instatunnel --laravel

# Express/Node.js

$ instatunnel 8000

# Custom port

$ instatunnel 4000

Full-Stack Development

$ instatunnel 3000 -s frontend

$ instatunnel 8000 -s api

$ instatunnel 5432 -s database

Quick Sharing & Mobile

# Auto-detect and share instantly

$ it

# With QR code for mobile (auto-detect)

$ instatunnel --qr

# With memorable name (auto-detect)

$ instatunnel -s demo

OAuth Callback Testing

# Keep a fixed redirect URL while developing OAuth locally

$ instatunnel 3000 --subdomain oauth-dev

# Set this in provider console (Google/GitHub/etc.)

https://oauth-dev.instatunnel.my/auth/callback

# Inspect callback requests during login flow

$ instatunnel --logs

Use one stable subdomain per app environment so redirect URIs stay valid and you avoid provider reconfiguration.

Team QA / Demo Links

# Protected link for reviewers and clients

$ instatunnel 3000 --subdomain acme-qa --auth qa:review2026 --qr

# Generate share-ready text templates

$ instatunnel --share

Prefer --auth for team demos, rotate credentials per demo cycle, and disable tunnel when review is complete.

Flag Quick Reference

--subdomain, -s Set tunnel subdomain

--domain, -d Use custom domain (Pro/Business)

--region, -r Region (currently only us)

--password Password protect tunnel

--auth Basic auth username:password

--mcp MCP tunnel mode (Pro/Business)

--transport MCP transport (v1 default, v2 streaming)

--qr Print QR code

--list List active tunnels (auth)

--kill Stop tunnel by subdomain (auth)

--logs Poll live request logs (Pro/Business)

--stats Show real 30-day usage summary (auth)

--share Print social sharing templates

--react/--next/--laravel Framework shortcuts

💡 Pro Tip: Just run it for instant auto-detection! For consistent URLs, use it -s my-project - your team can bookmark the same URL!

✅ Validation: Commands shown above map to the current CLI behavior in this release. Plan-gated commands require the right account tier.

🚀 New features: QR codes, password protection, basic auth, framework detection, and social sharing templates are all working!

Where should I start in InstaTunnel docs?

Evidence and trust

Release cadence

Security controls

Reliability runbooks

Documentation

Basic Usage

🎯 Core Commands

Basic Tunneling

Custom Subdomains

Multiple Tunnels

📋 Tunnel Management

List Active Tunnels

Stop Tunnels

📊 Information & Analytics

Live Request Logs

Usage Statistics

Region Flag

QR Code for Mobile Testing

🔒 Security Features

Password Protection

Basic Authentication

📱 Sharing & Collaboration

Social Sharing Templates

🛠 Common Patterns

Frontend Development

API Development

Full-Stack Development

Quick Sharing & Mobile

OAuth Callback Testing

Team QA / Demo Links

Flag Quick Reference

Need a quick path?